ARUNDEL — Nostagia for polyester suits, busy floral prints, anthems of women’s liberation, platform shoes and go-go boots are all the buzz at the Arundel Barn Playhouse as they kick off their 17th summer season with “8 Track,” an all-music valentine to the hit songs of the 1970s. The show runs through June 28.
“8 Track” is a fast-paced medley of more than 50 pop hits that run the gamut of style and type, inclusive of ballads, disco dance tunes, love songs, war and peace songs, and even include such ignoble hits like “Car Wash.”
The set is colorful matrix of levels and floating rings with a Rubik’s Cube as a centerpiece. The lighting effects echo the disco era and punctuate the action with pizzazz. The band is a competent four-piece ensemble under the direction of Ray Baily. The musicians are a constant, remaining on stage for the duration, playing and framing the action.
The cast and crew at the barn are a melting pot of young talent brimming with idealism and enthusiastic zest. Most are summer refugees from college theater departments far and wide ”“ Pennsylvania, Florida, California, Georgia, Alabama, Indiana, Virginia, New Orleans and even Montclair, N.J.
Four singers must nobly shoulder all 50 songs: two men, Brian DiRito and Roger Reed; and two women, Aili Venho and Ashten Bannister. The vocal challenge is steep, as the musical styles and vocal ranges are impossibly diverse. The men have the challenge of switching from the high falsettos of the BeeGees to the deep sonorous bellowing of Barry White. The ladies must transition from the delicate sound of Karen Carpenter to the driving beat of Donna Summer.
The gentlemen nicely perform an odd compilation of Paul Simon’s “Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover” interspersed with the trucker’s anthem “Convoy.”
The ladies are especially appealing when paired in lyrical duets.
The show is neatly divided into eight sections, or tracks, but the stage really heats up during Track 7: The Disco Section. The Village People’s “Y.M.C.A,” and K.C. and the Sunshine Band’s disco standbys “Shake, Shake, Shake” and “Get Down Tonight” are all included. Travolta’s white suit makes an appearance, and the ladies deliver a very cute snippet of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
The Arundel Barn Playhouse is celebrating its 17th season of musical merriment. The barn itself is an architectural wonder of marvelous weathered boards and high-arcing rafters that have remained virtually untouched for more than 150 years. It’s a cozy atmosphere, creaking with history, and provides the perfect ambiance for summer theater fun.
For tickets and information, call 985-5552. Performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 2 p.m.; and Wednesday matinees at 2 p.m. The vintage barn theater is air-conditioned and fan cooled.
Arundel Barn’s summer season of musical theater will continue with “A Chorus Line” from July 1-12, “My Fair Lady,” July 15-Aug. 2, “Legally Blonde,” Aug. 5-16 and “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” Aug. 19-30.
— Gregory Reynolds Morell is a director, writer and producer who is also director of the Antic Arts Center. Visit www.gregmorell.com.
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